The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1294 - 197 - The Fall Of Milham Kingdom - Part 3 (1)
Assassination attempts kept coming for the Princess, one after another, like a stubborn storm that simply refused to pass. It was almost impressive in a way. Whoever was behind them clearly had patience, resources, and a very unhealthy obsession with seeing Myrcella dead.
Still, for all their effort, we managed to fight them off without much trouble.
Every time another assassin appeared, the result was almost the same. A quick clash in the shadows, a flash of steel, sometimes a burst of magic, and then it was over. The Shadows had been doing their job well too. They were terrifyingly efficient when it came to sniffing out suspicious movements. They were also keeping a close watch on the people who were currently harboring the other bastards of the late king.
And from what we had gathered so far, those people were most likely the ones sending these assassins our way.
Honestly, politics really did bring out the worst in people.
We managed to capture some of the assassins alive during a few of those encounters. That alone was already a small miracle. Most assassins preferred dying in battle rather than getting caught, so grabbing them alive usually meant someone had to move faster than their suicide options.
Unfortunately, that little victory didn't last long.
Even after we restrained them, even after we made sure they couldn't move, they still found ways to kill themselves before we could properly interrogate them. Poison hidden in teeth, small blades tucked in places you would rather not check too closely, even magic seals that activated the moment they realized escape was impossible.
Before we could get a single useful piece of information out of them, they were already dead.
It was almost frustratingly impressive.
It was clear they had been paid extremely well. People do a lot of things for money, but willingly dying to protect a client? That kind of loyalty usually required either a massive payout or an ego the size of a castle wall.
These assassins seemed to have both.
The moment they were caught, their pride as assassins kicked in. They chose death without hesitation. There was no begging, no bargaining, or even any dramatic speeches. Just a quiet decision to die.
It was professional. Terrifyingly professional.
Because of all that, the tension within the kingdom had reached a brand new peak.
You could feel it everywhere.
In the streets, the markets, the palace halls. Even the air itself felt heavier somehow, like the entire capital was holding its breath. Guards were more alert than usual, nobles whispered behind closed doors, and even the servants walked a little faster than normal.
Right now, it honestly felt like everything was hanging by a single fragile thread.
One mistake. One unexpected move.
And the whole kingdom might snap.
The political pressure had become far more intense than anything we had seen before. Alliances were shifting, rumors were spreading, and everyone seemed to be waiting for something to happen.
But that wasn't the only thing bothering me.
Because while all this political nonsense was happening, I could feel something else.
Somewhere out there, hidden beyond the noise of human ambition and backstabbing politics, there was another presence. Something ancient.
And for some reason, it felt strangely familiar.
The aura reminded me of a Great One.
The moment I noticed it, a cold shiver crawled up my spine. Not from fear, exactly, but from recognition.
So I checked with Veronica.
She confirmed it almost immediately.
So she felt it too.
Considering she was a fragment of Lilith, it was only natural that she could feel it too. When that strange wave of energy passed through the capital earlier, she felt it just as clearly as I did.
Which was… not exactly comforting.
So naturally, we told Myrcella about it right away.
"A Great One?" she asked.
Her voice carried a mixture of disbelief and concern. Honestly, that was a pretty reasonable reaction. Hearing those words casually thrown into a conversation was about as comforting as hearing someone say there was a dragon sitting outside your window.
"Yup," I said.
I nodded casually, even though the situation itself was anything but casual.
"Something similar to what Sesillian and his cult summoned back then. Looks like Moriarty decided to copy their homework."
"I see…" she murmured quietly. "That truly is a cause for concern."
That was putting it mildly.
The Great Ones were legendary beings, creatures said to have existed millions of years ago. According to old records and ancient myths, they were the ones who shaped the world itself.
The Great Red, for example, was believed to have created the scorched wastelands of the Demon Continent. Endless fields of blackened earth, rivers of lava, and volcanoes that never stopped erupting.
Stories claimed that its breath alone could melt metal like butter left under the sun.
Then there was the Great Blue, the supposed creator of the seas and every ocean across the world. Every wave, every tide, every massive body of water supposedly traced its origins back to that being.
And of course, the Great Green.
The one credited with spreading life across the world. Forests, grasslands, towering trees, and even the Great Forest itself. That enormous stretch of greenery where many races eventually settled.
In simple terms, the Great Ones were basically treated as the creators of the world.
Now, whether that was completely true or not was still up for debate.
History had a funny habit of exaggerating things over the course of a few million years.
But even if the stories weren't entirely accurate, no one could deny that the Great Ones had influenced the world in massive ways.
Most people knew them.
Though I doubted many of them knew anything about Lilith, which is the Great Black.
"Well, if you think about it now, Hertrude's vision finally makes sense," I said.
I leaned back slightly as I spoke.
"Whoever is holding the power of that Great One is probably planning to use it to attack the capital."
And honestly, that scenario was almost guaranteed to happen eventually.
Hertrude's Clairvoyance had already shown us a glimpse of the future. A possible future where the capital was reduced to nothing but dust and ashes.
Still, even before hearing that prophecy, we had already expected something like this.
People chasing the throne rarely played nice.
It was only a matter of time before someone tried something ridiculous.
"If they possess power like that," Myrcella said slowly, "then it does explain why, in Miss Hertrude's vision, the entire capital was burned to dust."
She paused for a moment before asking,
"Should we be worried, Leon?"
"I don't think so," I replied.
"You sound very confident," Lilia said. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at me.
"Are you certain you're not basing that confidence on a mistaken assumption?"
Well, that was fair.
From her perspective, I probably sounded like some idiot who had just volunteered to wrestle a god.
Lilia still didn't fully trust me with something like this. Then again, there were plenty of things about me that she still didn't know.
For now, she was probably just observing.
Watching carefully to see what I could actually do.
"Relax," I said with a small shrug.
"I've got plenty of people who can handle different problems. The Great One however, you can leave that to me."
I scratched the back of my head casually.
I knew how ridiculous that sounded.
But I meant it.
At this point, there really wasn't much left that could scare me.
After all, this wasn't my first time dealing with a Great One.
I had fought one before.
Back then, Lilith had helped me a lot. Without her assistance, things probably would have ended very differently.
But things were different now.
I wasn't the same person I was back then.
I was still growing stronger.
Little by little. Step by step.
And this time, I didn't think I would fall short.
Especially not with Ayuru by my side.
Because with that blade in my hand, there really wasn't much in this world that couldn't be cut.
Even the scales of a Great One would be no exception.
